134 



NATURE 



[February 2, 1922 



confidence to an early completion of the remaining 

 volumes. When these are published the gap 

 between the " Catalogue of Scientific Papers " and 

 the "International Catalogue of Scientific Litera- 

 ture " will be filled so far as the index of authors' • 

 names is concerned; the indexing of scientific 

 papers under authors' names will then be com- 

 plete up to 1914. 



There will still remain the subject-index, of 

 which we believe only the volumes for mathe- 

 matics, mechanics, and physics have been pub- 

 lished, and that some fourteen volumes have yet 

 to appear. To most of us a subject-index is much 

 more useful than an author-index. While an 

 author-index is essential as a permanent record 

 of work done by individual authors, it will be of 

 little use to an investigator anxious to discover 

 what has previously been done in a particular 

 line of research. For such a purpose a subject- 

 index is required. We therefore hope that the 

 Royal Society will proceed with the production 

 of subject-indexes for the period 1800-1900 on 

 the plan already begun with such success. 



In addition to the surname of the author, the 

 " Catalogue of Scientific Papers " gives the full 

 Christian names so far as these can be ascer- 

 tained. This is not merely in order to give credit 

 to those to whom it is due, but also to make it 

 easy for those who refer to the catalogue to dis- 

 tinguish between an acknowledged master of a 

 subject and a little-known author who may chance 

 to have the same surname. We commend the 

 printing of titles in the original language, fol- 

 lowed, when necessary, by an English translation. 

 Those who have attempted to render a foreign 

 language into English know how difficult it is to 

 convey the exact meaning of the author; it is 

 better, therefore, to let him speak for himself. 

 In some of our abstracting journals we may find 

 titles of foreign papers not only translated but so 

 altered that no one could reconstruct the original. 

 Nevertheless we think the compilers of this 

 volume would have done well to add the English 

 equivalent of some of the titles which they have 

 printed without a translation. This would apply, 

 for example, to many papers published in 

 Swedish. 



The Royal Society, representing, as it does, all 

 branches of science, is clearly the body best able 

 to Carry to a successful issue any work indexing 

 the whole field of science ; all who take an interest 

 in science will therefore feel that they owe the 

 Society a debt of gratitude for having undertaken 

 the great work of making a complete catalogue of 

 the scientific papers published during 1800—1900 

 NO. 2727, VOL. 109] 



and for showing its intention to continue the work 

 to a successful issue. A monumental work of 

 this kind will never be out of date, but will be 

 treasured as a permanent record of the marvel- 

 lous achievements in the domain of science during 

 the nineteenth century. 



Our Bookshelf. 



Handhiich der biologischen Arbeitsmethoden. 

 Edited by Prof. Dr. Emil Abderhalden. 

 Abt. 5, Methoden zum Studium der Funkiionen 

 der einzelnen Organe des tierischeti Orgatnsmus. 

 (i) Teil 3, Heft i, Entwicklungsmechanik. 

 Pp. 218. 66 marks. (2) Teil 3, Heft 2, Ent- 

 wicklungsmechanik. Pp. 219-440. 72 marks. 

 Abt. 9, Methoden zur Erforschung der Leistungen 

 des tierischen Organismus. (3) Teil i, Heft i, 

 Lieferung 34, Allgemeine Methoden. Pp. 96. 30 

 marks. (Berlin und Wien : Urban und Schwarzen- 

 berg, 1 92 1.) 

 (i) The five articles which form this " Heft " are 

 concerned with the technique of experimental em- 

 bryology. In his account of micro-surgery Prof. 

 Spemann deals with the operations for the examina- 

 tion of eggs — for dividing them either incompletely, 

 e.g. by means of a looped hair, or by actually 

 cutting the egg into two — with transplantation of 

 parts of embryos to unusual positions, etc. Prof. 

 Barfurth discusses the technique for the inquiry into 

 heteromorphosis and regeneration in various groups 

 of animals — embryos as well as adults. In this 

 part Fig. 48 is printed without reference letters or 

 description. Prof. H. Przibram gives methods for 

 investigating the influence on development of heat, 

 light, gravity, etc. ; Dr. Karl Herbst deals with 

 the methods of modifying development by means 

 of various salts in solution, and Dr. Neumayer 

 describes the instruments and technique of a 

 number of operations. The work forms a useful 

 source of reference for research workers and ad- 

 vanced students who desire to ascertain the methods 

 which have been most successful in practice. 



(2) The memoir by Prof. Rhumbler deals with 

 the methods of imitating or producing " models " 

 of living processes by physical devices — e.g. amoe- 

 boid movement, the ingestion of food as by an 

 amoeba, the formation of a test as in the Rhizopoda, 

 cell-division, fertilisation, etc. The volume is a 

 helpful and concise contribution to the literature 

 of the physics of vital phenomena. 



Both these parts Avould have been improved if 

 they had been provided with an index or a table of 

 contents. 



(3) In this, the first article of a new volume. 

 Prof. Przibram gives many useful suggestions as 

 to the methodical beginning and carrying 

 through of research in experimental zoology. The 

 selection and clear statement of the problem to be 

 attacked, the economical use of living specimens 

 — and also of time — by carrying out. wherever pos- 

 sible, more than one line of research on the same 



